Nancy Blake
Nancy Blake (née Short) is a cellist, guitarist, mandolinist, and singer known for her partnership with guitarist Norman Blake. She had a background in classical music and played cello in the folk band Natchez Trace, which opened for Norman Blake at the Exit/In in Nashville in 1972. The two married and settled in Dade County, Georgia. She played what Norman's 1974 album The Fields of November called "hillbilly cello," and that year the two began performing together. The partnership has lasted more than twenty years, Four of their duo albums were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording: Blind Dog (1988), Just Gimme Somethin' I'm Used To (1992), While Passing Along This Way (1994), and The Hobo's Last Ride (1996). In 2006 they released Back Home in Sulphur Springs.